Creamy Taquitos

Don't be intimidated by the length of the ingredient list, these are really easy to put together, and oh so worth it! I found this recipe on the Pennies on a Platter blog.

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray


Preheat your oven to 425˚F.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic, cilantro and green onions.

Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the middle of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.

Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa or sour cream.

I haven't frozen these, but have included the directions just in case someone else wants to.

**To freeze:  Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge.  Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap.  Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.  To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.

Source : Pennies on a Platter

Zippy Garlic Bites

Here's what you"ll need for some super-easy, super-flavorful little bites of bread that are a snap to put together and easy to adjust the seasonings for your family.

1 tube of refrigerated bisuits
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
Grated Parmesan Cheese
onion powder
garlic powder
parsley flakes

In the bowl you melted your butter, add the other ingredients, except the biscuits. Amounts depend on your families preferences. I don't even measure,  I give one shake of onion powder, 2 or 3 shakes of garlic powder, a good pinch of parsley flakes and a couple generous shakes from the Parmesan cheese. Change it up to meet your needs.

Stir it all together...

On a cutting board, cut your biscuits into quarters...

Drop the biscuits in the bowl and roll them around to coat them thoroughly.

 Then place them on a lightly sprayed baking sheet or break the rules and use a cast iron skillet.

Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve them up with your favorite Italian dish....and watch 'em disappear.

I found this recipe years ago in a Quick Cooking or Taste of Home magazine. It has evolved over the years and I'm not even sure how close it is to the original recipe!

Homemade Chicken Strips

 

If you know me at all you know that I don't fry very much of our food at home. I have no problem letting the boys order fried food when we eat out, but at home, I just can't do it. However, I do believe if you are going to have something fried it would be better for you cooked at home. So I have added a few (really, very few) fried items to our menus. I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and she just might be an expert on frying! But her family is WAY more active than mine and they probably work it all off before dawn!

Here's what you need to make them at home:

6 to 8 chicken tenders cut into strips, I just cut mine down the middle
Buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
2-3 teaspoons seasoned salt
Vegetable Oil, I only had Canola so that's what I used

Place chicken strips in a bowl and cover with buttermilk, let sit for at least 20 minutes.

Next, mix together flour and season salt.

Drizzle about 1/4 cup buttermilk into flour mixture. Stir with a fork while you pour, this will create little clumps of the flour mixture that will stick to the chicken and create yummy little "crunchies" on your chicken strips.

Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Remove a few of the buttermilk-soaked strips and place them in the flour mixture, turning them over to coat them thoroughly. Place them on a plate. Continue coating chicken strips until they are all ready to cook.
 
When the oil is heated, begin cooking the strips a few at a time. Cook them for about a minute and a half or so on each side. When golden and crispy, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.

I kept mine warm in a 200* oven while I cooked the rest.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Don't have buttermilk on hand? Try this trick from The Pioneer Woman:
pour just under 1/2 cup regular milk into the measuring cup, then add enough regular vinegar to the milk to bring the quantity up to 1/2 cup. Within seconds, it turns into buttermilk and works perfectly. Try it sometime!

These are really tasty, and all the boys like them (even the big boy!). 

They are forever trying to get me to fry more meals! 

Maybe someday they will thank me!